Oct 30, 2013

07:00 PM

Opening of Quilt Drawings Show Part of New Haven's Ninth Square Buzz

By Douglas P. Clement

Courtesy of Reynolds Fine Art

A quit drawing by Daphne Taylor.

There’s a painting in the collection of the Yale Center for British Art that—while depicting a streetscape in Victorian-era Great Britain—evokes the same moment-in-time feeling, and bittersweet autumnal thoughts, that are occasioned by certain streetscapes around Yale at twilight this time of year.

This Friday, at that moment in time in New Haven, an opening reception will be held at a different venue, Reynolds Fine Art, for a very different series of works—but works that share one commonality with the John Atkinson Grimshaw painting, “Evening Glow,” from 1884. (The YCBA is open until 5 p.m. Friday, so why not pay a visit before moving on to the Ninth Square events referenced below? Left: John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1836-1893, British, "Evening Glow," 1884 oil-on-canvas, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.)

“Daphne Taylor-Quilt Drawings” at Reynolds, on Orange Street in the city’s Ninth Square district, consists of drawings—employing quilting as a tool of the medium—that are quietly powerful and as perfectly evocative of the late-autumn twilight state of mind as the British painting from more than a century earlier.

The timing of the opening is notable—as it coincides with one of many carefully crafted initiatives meant to shine the spotlight on the arts, culture, dining and lifestyle amenities that now enrich and define Ninth Square, a downtown district that once felt—and largely was—vacant and unwelcoming.

On her website, Taylor, who was born into a Philadelphia Quaker family with a long heritage, says, “In my Quilt Drawing series I honor my love of drawing and painting. Lines reminiscent of landscape and figure are embroidered, pieced and composed within frameworks ranging from open white spaces to complex color fields. The rich visual language of these lines and markings is influenced and restrained by the power of simplicity. Hand quilting is of great importance in my work because it is equivalent to the act of drawing. While the placements of fabric are composed geometrically, the quilting done on top is a loose, spontaneous act. My hand responds to the shapes in the cloth, creating a loose rhythm of shadow line that is simple, clear and meditative.”

The result of that process, Taylor’s artistic quilts and her quilt drawings, are seasonally perfect images weighted with nuances of meaning that enfold themselves in winter-leaning minds at a level just below conscious thought, rhythms of retreat and the need for close comforts mixed simultaneously with bold, conquering thoughts that—perhaps—are inspired by Taylor’s “open white spaces” “complex color fields” and “rich visual language.”

As an undergraduate at Rhode Island School of Design, Taylor studied ceramics and developed her love of craft traditions, Reynolds explains in a release on the show that runs through Dec. 3.

“While working on her MFA in painting at the University of Pennsylvania, she continued her lifelong discipline of drawing, which to this day, influences stitching patterns in her quilt work,” the release says, adding, “Her close association with the Quaker traditions is a strong influence in her life and work. The curious and profound silence of a Quaker meeting can be felt in the patient, meditative lines of her quilts. Her compositions also frame challenging relationships of colors and other formal tensions, suggesting that there is never an easy or obvious blueprint to her quilts. Like the complex silence felt in a Quaker meeting, the world within Taylor’s quilts is hardly a straightforward place."

Taylor divides her time between teaching in New York City and rural Maine. To learn more see her website.

Reynolds Fine Art is located at 96 Orange St., and its mission is "to contribute to the economic and cultural ecosystem through vibrant samples of artwork, not only in our home neighborhood, but in the Lower Chapel district and in New Haven as a whole," the website explains. "Periodically shows, demonstrations, lectures, workshops and art sessions are held to infuse New Haven with diverse aspects of the art world." For more information about the gallery, see the website, call (203) 498-2200 or send an email toinfo@reynoldsfineart.com.

Reynolds is a fine artist who understands the importance of enriching and supporting the surrounding community through the world of art, his website bio says. All of his work begins with his sketchbook, which he carries with him at all times. His sketches are a method of recording events, memories, and moments that inspire him to paint. From colorful landscapes filled with movement, to abstract work focusing on line and contrast, to his new Aerial series, providing a new perspective on the way landscapes can be seen and interpreted; his array of work involves the viewer in the experience he has initially rendered in his sketchbook.

Lysak is the Gallery Director and Art Consultant at Reynolds Fine Art. As the Gallery Director, she is the liaison between the community and the artists presented at Reynolds Fine Art, as well as the spokesperson representing the gallery. As an Art Consultant, she works with a wide variety of clientele, both corporate and residential, seeking either an individual work of art, or many works that fit the needs of their environment.